Yam or Paper Mache?

I was just talking with my old roommate Jessie over the email and she reminded me of a funny that happened last fall. For those that know me, I love Yams. They are so good! I cooked them frequently and one time, I put some in the oven to have cooked ones on hand for the week. But I had a million things I had to do and ran to institute, not even thinking about the Yam. When I got out of institute, 2 hours later, I had a voicemail from Jessie, wondering if I meant to leave the Yam in the oven that whole time. HA HA! I immediately called her and said, "No! Please turn off the oven!"

When I got home, the Yam looked like a paper mache yam. It was so funny! But still delicious. Morel of the story? Yams are good no matter how long you cook them. Just don't burn the house down.

(I have been lucky with this b/c I always leave the candle warmer on and one time, not too long ago, I left it on for almost 2 days. Yikes!)

Cankers, Cankers, and More Cankers

My life is full of cankers. Literally and metaphorically. I currently have 3 cankers in my mouth. Oouuch! I have been applying Anbesol to my cankers for almost a week now. Still, nothing. I mean, it is going away, I suppose. But I think that's only because I have been rubbing salt into them for the last couple of days. I know... Double Ouch! It kills, but I think it's the only thing that is helping. The open part of the sore seems to be closing up a little and I'm sure that's from the salt. (I know, sick. Aren't you glad I didn't post a picture of that?! HA HA!) Do you Remember those commercials? "Faster than you can say Anbesol!" Hee Hee.

Keith and I have been doing mad research about what kind of rate we can get on a home, who the best lender is, what our options are to get the best deal. It's been an emotional roller coaster of excitement, frustration and disappointment. Mostly for me because I get all worked up and want things and then something comes up, or maybe it's just a temporary snag. Who knows? I'm just too much of a kid to let things not get to me, I guess.

Anyway, we are looking at getting an FHA loan, which would be great because it's a lower rate offered to first time homeowners. Last night I find out that we may not qualify because we just barely make too much money. (Barely as in like only $2000 a year too much) which is really disappointing if this turns out to be the case and I'm finding myself wishing I was just a little poorer than I already am. There's something wrong with that, don't you think? Still, once again I have created this wonderful idea in my head that may in fact turn out to be something I don't want in the end. (IE: getting this condo now? or waiting for something else later...)
Don't get me wrong, I most definitely want a house. But sometimes what we see in front of us is not what is best for us and I know this to be true. Keith is much more level headed than I am sometimes. So I'm glad to have him. We have been praying, fasting and are going to the temple this week, to help us know what decision is right for us. Still, I HATE waiting! Maybe I have too much free time on my hands here at work and therefore I think about this way too much. Or maybe I just need to take a coarse in relaxation. I've always wanted what I want, when I want it. What woman doesn't huh?

Still .....What's wrong with that?!

TGIF

To say the least, I'm thrilled it is Friday. This has been a long week, despite the fact that I worked half a day on Monday and took Tuesday off. Emotions have been high, sleep has been restless, and the last couple of months have been chuck full of events.

This weekend I expect to do a whole lot of nothing. Tonight we are going to see Harry Potter with the Bairds and the Clippinger's, and whoever else might be coming. I have no idea. I have recommitted myself to lose weight and if I have to use this blog as a public mockery in order to get my butt in shape, so be it. I have also decided that I can no longer use the excuse of "not having a Stoven" (oven and stove-thanks to Jessie for coming up with that delicious compound word, i love it!) to feed my face with foods that are not really that beneficial to me. Oh sure, the every now-and-then burrito or hot pocket isn't going to kill me. But living off foods that are microwavable is not the best solution. I have other options for cooking. I just need to stop being so lazy. Anyway, long story short, I think I might swim laps tomorrow morning. I haven't been in weeks and I miss it. Keith and I have no plans for the weekend, other than seeing HP tonight and getting groceries tomorrow. I think this is the first weekend in months that we have not had something going on. I'm sure we'll end up at his parent's house playing Pinnocle since the nephews are leaving this weekend and I have yet to have played. Keith keeps saying he's going to teach me but something always seems to come up. hmmm....Simpsons seasons 3-7? Perhaps.


My cutest niece, Gabriella Rose, we call her Gabby, Big G, Gabby Girl...take your pick. She is the funnest thing since I discovered Lagoon is a theme park trapped in the image of a big and better older sister. (sorry Lagoon, but Six Flags is soo much more fun.)

Gabby has recently learned how to say "Cheese" when having her picture taken and it's just so cute. I don't know if I have a picture of this except on my phone, but I might be able to find one of her coloring. She's so intense when she does it. tee hee. I think she means business people. Isn't she beautiful?! How about one more.


Sorry about the red eye. Here she is watching "Curious George". She only watches it like 10x a week. Do you think she's obessessed? Only has an almost toddler can be.

Sometimes It's Better To Remain Celebate

Speaking of the Blue Lagoon....I don't know how many of you have seen this movie, but Brother and Sister doing it = not cool. I don't care if they are the last 2 people on the island. I guess Humankind will cease to exist. That's the price they'll have to pay.

Call me crazy, but am I really a Wiget trapped in a continually growing woman's body? (I really need to diet!). Sidebar: a Wiget is a name my husband and his friends made up for prepubescent adolescent teenage girls. Prepub teenage boy's= Pelt's. tee hee. I love this album. Avril sure knows how to rock and for all those inquiring minds out there I highly recommend you check out tracks 1, 2, 3, 7, 8 (for beginningers....). She's great!

Speaking of rocking, I will be eating lunch in t-minus 11 minutes. I think I'm about to die, I am so hungry. And bored out of my mind today. I have work to do, it's just mindless or maybe I'm just lazy. I haven't decided. Sometimes I think my job is make believe. I mean I know it's real. It must be. I get a pay check every 2 weeks (which I love. "I want money...doo doo do"). But I really don't do much during the day. It's quite ridiculous and wonderful all at the same time. I'm sure oneday, my body and brain will cry out for something more stimulating, but for now I'm just enjoying the ride. Ü

Ode' to Connie

Monday at 3:45 Keith and I had to say good-bye to Connie, Keith's dog of 11 1/2 years. It was the saddest thing I have ever had to do. Connie was such a good dog. She had a wonderful disposition; was always happy even though she was in so much pain. She's had a liver infection for some time, and I guess because it never got better, her kidney's began to fail and her body was full of poison. She was almost completely blind and had a heart murmur. It was hard for her to breathe.
Connie had survived Parvo as a small puppy and also had Cancer a few years back. She was a trooper. When we got to the vet, she was so good. Didn't put up much of a fight. I think she knew what was coming and even though she was scared, I think she knew we were doing it for her. She is happier now.

Connie was full of life. Being a mix within the Huskie Family, she had an innate sense of mischeviousness. She was a free spirit. She didn't like being fenced in or chained up. Keith and Ted (Keith's brother's) told me countless stories of her as a young pup, running and jumping through hills of snow, attacking neighbors chickens and ducks, and even being bailed out of "jail" a number of times from the Bountiful and Layton city Dog Pounds.

Connie had the cutest face, full of happiness. Perky ears and a big tongue that just couldn't be contained. Connie immediately took a liking to me and although, she was only my dog for a short 6 months, I loved her very much. Because Connie had anxiety issues, Keith and I often stayed with her on the weekends, while Keith's parents were out of town. We had many good times. I remember once, not too long ago, I took her out to use the bathroom and I heard her barking/yelping, almost a helpless cry. When I went outside, she had managed to get herself, chain and all, wrapped around a pole that's in their yard. Poor pup. I couldn't help but laugh. She was so cute. I guided her back around the pole so she could be free and she was so happy. I just love that dog.

I don't have a picture of Connie, but I found this online and it looks alot like her. She was cuter than this, if you can believe it. More brown on her body and face and more smiles. But this is a good representation till I can find an actual picture of her to post.

Connie, we will miss you. Keith, most of all. I know you're having fun in heaven running around with the colored and the old man! (this would be one of their old dog's, Ebony, who they called "The Colored" and Connie always was biting her ear, and Keith's Grandpa, who lived with them till he died and they called "The Old Man").

Triple 6's on my Skull

Keith and I have just put a deposit on a condo-to-be in Centerville. Construction is to begin within the next 2 months. We are in the grace period, so we have 30-45 days before we have to sign the Purchase Agreement, but have a lot reserved. They are going fast. We have been looking all over Davis County at Real Estate and it's pretty pricey, so we are excited about this little jem we found. Nice location, brand new, relatively big for the price (3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms), fenced in community. We are looking at some other options but this assures we will have the lot should we choose to keep it come the end of the month.

Stress. Stress is like sugar to my subconscious. I just can't get enough. Who gets married and looks to buy a house all within 6 months? What am I thinking?! For some reason we feel the need to trade in our souls for a more comfortable lifestyle. Not that we can't afford it, and I do like the idea of not sharing a basement apartment with half the insects in the neighborhood and having a working stove/oven. (That's a story in and of itself). Still, it's a bit nerve racking and my sweet husband has a huge fobia of committment and change (don't ask me how we actually got married). So it's extra work trying to keep him calm and feel like we haven't just made the biggest mistake of our lives. Men. They feel so much pressure to do what's right by their families. Bless his heart, he tries so hard and he will succeed. What a good man.

Only time will tell what really happens. It's a scary thought, having a mortgage. It means I'll be working for a really long time, which is inevitable. I do like the idea of granite countertops and a whirlpool tub. (I'm seduced so easily..... Sigh.)

Just a few more pics

Sumpin a little sweet

As many of you may know, I am recently married. Hooray for love! Isn’t it great?! I know what you’re thinking; you thought this day would never come. Well, to all you Nay Sayers, (insert tongue sticking out), it was totally worth the wait. I don’t know how many of you know the story of how the real Mr. & Mrs. Smith came to be, but let me enlighten you with a sweet little tidbit. (Since this is my first blog I’m going to indulge in a little ME time but I promise stories of ‘Cami Woe’ will soon be available for your reading pleasure!)

Many of you know this, and for those that do, you'll just have to suffer through. For those that don't, enjoy! My good friend and co-worker, Colette Austin, asked me if she could give my number to a guy she knew and I said yes. This threw me into a whirlwind of events that soon became the reality of my life, which has taken a complete 360 in the last 6 months. After our initial meeting (via the phone December 18th and in person December 19th), Christmas Eve was the night that my life would change forever.

Keith and I had been talking all week and went on our first official date he got back from Las Vegas (the BYU game)- dinner at the Olive Garden and The Nutcracker. It was so much fun! Being with Keith was like no guy I’d ever dated. It was fast and new, I felt a connection yet it was still foreign. I wasn’t sure how to react to all of this. Christmas Eve Keith invited me to a party at his friend Dallin’s house. Since my family had zero plans for the night I said ok and drove to Farmington to meet him. (It’s funny, this reminiscing is so surreal but I love our story.)
At Dallin’s there were family and friends. The Plaizier’s were so kind and welcoming of me. I was able to meet some of Keith’s friends and Dallin’s family. We played pool and Karaoke. Keith and I played jokes on his friend Nate and we were having such a great time. I was able to see Keith interacting with other people and saw how social and comfortable he is with himself and those around him. He is the life of the party but not in an obnoxious way. It was infectious and I couldn’t help but laugh.

It was this night that I fell in love with Keith. I didn’t realize it at the time but the feelings I was having, it was unbelievable and when I look back I know I was head over heels for him. The party went on for some time and it was late when I left. I was sad to leave, I just couldn’t bring myself to depart from Keith. When I got home it was about 3am on Christmas morning and I called Keith to tell him I got home ok. We talked for another 2 hours and decided that we didn’t want to date any other people. 24 hours from then we had decided we were getting married and on that Friday, December 29th, we had called the temple and set our wedding date, April 14th, 2007.

It was the craziest, most uninhibited thing I have ever done (and for those that know me I never think before I do things) and yet I knew, without a doubt, that I was to marry Keith. Maybe that’s why it was so easy to decide. I could see, I knew right away, like we’d always been together just torn apart and had taken a long time to find each other but in the process we were able to find ourselves first. I think back on that night, that Christmas Eve out by my car, as we cuddled and hugged, kissed good bye that I couldn’t disregard this as some fleeting moment…I knew that whatever this was it was real and it was here to stay.

And they lived Happily Ever After, right?! Haha. Well, most of the time. Marriage is an adjustment when you’ve been single for 28 years, but it’s wonderful and we are loving it!

Doesn't get any better than this!

Please don’t take my title to mean that I in any way like Lindsay Lohan. (Don’t tell my husband, he used to have the biggest crush on her. I’m glad to see his taste in trampy women has changed somewhat!) Popular? I just don’t get it. You can practically feel the fleas crawling on her. Sick.

Welcome to my new Blog! Isn't it wonderful? So...down to business.

Sometimes when I’m sitting at work I hear crickets. At first I thought I must be crazy. But it happens too frequently and I’m too cool to be crazy. It must be a cell phone. Please….let it be a cell phone.

My husband, bless his heart, doesn’t sleep well. Sleeping pills are expensive, at least the kind that work for him. He takes them sporadically to make them last. Sometimes they make him loopy and he says and does strange things. It’s quite cute, actually, and very adorable. He’s like a giant kid on a sugar high, but can’t seem to keep his balance or make complete sentences. The other morning I lifted my head off the pillow to look at the clock. Good. 20 more minutes. Plunk. My head hits the bed.

Me: Hey, you took my pillow.

Keith: What? oh… (and gives it back)
Isn’t he cute? Ü